I have had to repeat this mantra myself when I start complaining about what “the state” is doing about early childhood in Ohio. While I believe in the goals and expectations that “the state” has for improving the quality of care for young children, I find myself complaining about the journey that it takes to get there. I find it so easy to complain when “the state” becomes this catch all category for all of the things that I do not have control over.

Last week, I decided to stop making excuses and make a change. I drove to Columbus for advocacy day. In the morning I was trained on how to advocate, and in the afternoon I actually engaged in advocacy work by speaking with our state representatives and senators. It was such a rewarding day to be able to speak passionately about early care and education and after-school care in Ohio. Our representatives and senators depend on our voice to inform them about crucial decisions that affect our state.

On this particular day, the legislature was meeting to vote on texting and wild animal laws. Are most senators and representatives experts on either of these topics? Probably not. They depend on police officers and wild animal experts to fill them in on the details so that they can make informed decisions when it comes time to vote. My role on that day was not to persuade them to vote a certain way, but to build a relationship with them so that they would consider me a resource when a vote is needed.

Advocacy work sounds a whole lot scarier than it actually is. It involves a lot of patience as you are at the mercy of the legislator’s schedules, but the 15 minutes that you can spend with them are very rewarding.

A few days ago a draft of the Early Childhood Birth-Kindergarten Entry Standards was made available for public comment. I jumped at the chance to read through and make my comments and suggestions. I was done making excuses, and you can be, too!

The draft standards and feedback survey are located here. On this site, you can access the introduction which explains the development process and organization of the standards, the draft standards in each domain and a link to the survey on which you can provide feedback. You can also access the survey directly here. Please review and submit your comments by May 31, 2012! Make your voice heard!

At the grocery store recently, I overheard a mother trying to keep her two children well behaved as she moved up and down the aisles. They were begging for the little cheap toys that hang from the shelving units. She said that they weren’t there for toys and they didn’t have the extra money for them, but the children’s pleas became more intense and louder. In the end the mom ended up letting her children pick a toy for some peace and quiet.

There are other ways to keep children occupied during situations like this one. What about having helpers to pull things off the shelf and put them in the cart, or marking items off of a list? Children are getting something more substantial than a toy out of involvement like this. They get to have fun with their parent and feel that they are contributing toward getting the job done! We have similar opportunities in child care programs, and know all too well how impossible it can be to keep an entire classroom of children 100 percent happy unless we’re engaging with them in meaningful ways.

When we “give in” we run the risk of teaching children that if they act out enough they will end up getting what they want in the end. This won’t lead to anything more than temporary happiness, and doesn’t prepare children very well for the reality of school or work. Wouldn’t it be great if all your boss wanted to do was make you happy? While that’s part of the deal, we all have responsibilities and those often come first.

Sometimes it can hurt our hearts to be the one to say “no.” But helping children to understand that there are boundaries and they won’t always get what they want are important ones for parents and teachers to impart.

My first-ever early childhood classroom experience was Mrs. Bean’s Nursery School and Kindergarten. I was almost four. From time to time I’ll think back to that first experience (what I can remember of it) comparing/contrasting the “now” and “then.” And the “now” is ever-changing as time marches on–for the most part.

For example, I don’t remember dittos and worksheets. I’m not saying specifically we didn’t have them, but I certainly don’t remember them. What do I still remember? For one thing, I remember that cotton comes from a plant, wool comes from a sheep and–this was the real mind-blower–silk comes from a worm! Wow! (I’ll also admit these were simpler times before synthetic fibers.) What made it so memorable? We could see, touch and feel! Well, there were only photos of the animals, but we saw them, and could handle the cotton boll and the plant, the “just shorn” wool, and the silk thread and fabric. We could put our hands on them. We could share them and talk about them. We could relate it to our own experience. (Sewing was big in our household.)

Since best practices in early childhood education were first collectively addressed by the National Association for the Education of Young Children (NAEYC) in their Developmentally Appropriate Practice (DAP) adopted in 1986, the landscape of the field has changed significantly. What we used to believe was good practice was based mainly on tradition and instinct. With the help of science and long-range studies we now have data on which to base our practice. To adapt to and accommodate these changes DAP has been revised three times, most recently in 2009, though the principles of child-centered learning have remained at the heart of DAP. Mrs. Bean had the right idea all along!

Today it’s wonderful to see early childhood on the radar of funders and legislators, but with that come standards of performance and accountability for all of us–children, teachers, parents and the funders and legislators. As we strive to meet standards and be accountable, it is essential to base our decisions and practices on what that science and research tells us. Children learn best in child-centered environments with individually- and age-appropriate, meaningful, hands-on learning.

Not every activity and experience we provide in our classrooms will pass the “Mrs. Bean test,” but I hope some of mine have. And, it’s a vital thought to have in our minds as we plan our curriculum. What’s really going to be significant and make an impact?

Oh, and thank you, Mrs. Bean. You had good instincts.

I took this challenge one day at a time. I planned meals and grocery shopped. I took the recommended vitamins. I bypassed the coke machine in favor of water. I walked and did strength training several times a week. I felt better. I lost ten pounds. I feel good about the results, but even better because I think I can stick with it by taking it one day at a time.

This concept is also the focus for the Sixth Annual 4C Northern Kentucky Leadership Conference which will be held on May 4. Big things can become small things if taken one step at a time. What project or task have you been avoiding because it just seems “too big”?

Now, we don’t really need much research to know that many children face lots greater issues and challenges than left-handedness. The important point here is awareness; awareness that every child is an individual, and has his unique characteristics and needs. It starts with awareness, and THEN our challenge is to continually find ways to best meet those needs.

I think most of us know by now that it is not appropriate to try to change handedness. I’ll give my parents and teachers credit, even “way back then” they didn’t make any efforts to do that (although it often happened). Still, in retrospect, a little more awareness and effort to support some of the unique needs of left-handedness would have helped. Honestly, we’re all not just clumsy and awkward! For example, many of us struggle to find our own way of gripping the pencil, bending our wrists, twisting in our chair, turning the paper, etc. to write from left to right. As we do this we can’t really see what we are writing, and our hand or arm often smear or blur the pencil or the ink. I guess I’ve spent most of my life with print residue on the sides of my left hand and fingers! And, regardless of politics, I think most left-handers feel some bond with our President when we see him officially signing a document, arm and hand bent around the pen so as not to smear the ink. Then of course there are the scissors, the computer mouse, spiral notebooks and ringed binders. The list goes on.

“Opposite-handed” teachers and parents can innocently create some confusion for young children, as well. For example, my husband and I are both left-handed, and it took us a while to figure out there were some skills we needed to teach in a “mirror-image” sort of way. Fortunately our two right-handed children are in their forties and have been tying their own shoes for some time now.

The left-handed challenge is not all bad. A little research shows that we are a resilient and resourceful bunch. I like being in the company of Beethoven, Einstein and Oprah!

Many of us remember the anxiety of timed tests, conceptual learning through books and worksheets and the droning lectures we often received in math and science classes. Adults can unintentionally undermine children’s math and science ability and attitudes when they say things like, “Math is hard,” or, “I didn’t like science, either, when I was in school.” Although you can’t make a child enjoy science and math, you can encourage them to try new things and appreciate the value in everyday experiences.

Science, Technology, Engineering and Math (STEM) is an exciting new initiative in the afterschool field. Many afterschool teachers are nervous about tackling science and math activities because they feel that they have to have all the answers. But STEM is not focused on concepts and vocabulary! STEM is about informal learning building on children’s interests. It’s about the experience and being able to answer the question: What would happen if? Or, what do you think?  It’s hands on and minds on, where children can openly manipulate materials without a recipe or demonstration by an adult. By providing these informal experiences, it’s hoped that children will gain a greater understanding and make connections when they hear concepts taught during the school day. Best of all, it’s fun!

How can we begin to foster this sense of wonder in school age children? 4C for Children offers many STEM workshops, which you can view and register for on our online catalog (under “School-age”). Time Warner Cable has also invested in Connect a Million Minds, a STEM project where teachers and parents can browse countless opportunities for learning. It’s speculated that 80 percent of jobs will require math and science skills in the next decade. In order to prepare children with 21^st century skills, it is our job to provide STEM learning that is exciting, creative and fun.

One of the changes that will impact many early childhood programs in our area is the requirement to become Step Up To Quality star-rated in order to receive subsidized funds from the state. If you are currently using the swipe card system this means your program must become star-rated! Strengthening programs through systems like Step Up To Quality support our most precious resource: young children. Children whose parents use subsidized care are identified as “at risk,” and it is one of the aims of the Early Learning Challenge Grant that every single one of these children be cared for in a quality program. I love this! But I also understand that change is hard, even when it’s a good thing.

At a forum 4C held last week to discuss the implications of Ohio’s Early Learning Challenge Grant, I looked around a room full of early childhood program owners and administrators and identified four different kinds of responses.  About 10 percent mirrored my feelings: these directors were excited, enthusiastic and couldn’t wait to get started. Another 10 percent had their arms crossed, deep frowns on their faces and looked like they felt they would never be on board with becoming star-rated. The remaining 80 percent fell into two camps: those who looked like they were willing to give the new idea some thought, or those who were going to wait and see what happened before they decided what to do.

This isn’t so different from the way we respond to change in other areas of our lives. There are very few people that can embrace and love change, some that can be referred to as “early adopters” of change, some that are “late adopters” and a small percentage that are so resistant that they will never change. As a leader in your program, how do you feel you respond to change? How would you like to respond? Your staff or fellow teachers will fall into these different categories, too, and may need your support.

People who are already “sold” on the changes that are coming with the Early Learning Challenge Grant won’t need much support. The truly resistant may demand a great deal of your time and support, but they will probably never change. I encourage you to devote most of your time and energy to your early adopters. Once they’re on board, your “wait and see” staff will probably embrace the changes, as well. Strive to be patient! Change is hard for everyone, but this is really one of those times where everyone will benefit, too.

Getting staff on board with the idea of training during “off hours” can be a challenging and stressful job for the administrator. It can be overwhelming and time consuming, especially when you are trying to orient new staff to your program.

Acclimating new staff to what is expected of them as a professional can be a little like potty training a puppy. It’s not easy! Veterinarians say that it can take up to a year to fully potty train puppies, and even then some never step up to the challenge. To successfully train puppies (and your staff!), it takes time, effort, rewards and consistency.

Sure, staff need to understand the atmosphere of what makes your program tick, but they also need those basic skills that will help them enter the classroom with confidence and knowledge. What if the employees don’t understand what is developmentally appropriate? What if they don’t know how to write a lesson plan and what content they should be teaching? What if they don’t have creative ideas about behavior management? What if they knew what to say in an interview but had NO IDEA how to carry it out when they are faced with the actual children in a classroom?

Professional development is invaluable in building the confidence and knowledge that contribute to a great staff member. When teachers have exhausted all of their good ideas in the classroom, workshops offer them the chance to refresh and to explore new approaches to learning. So often I see teachers in workshops writing down ideas with excitement, ready to take what they have learned and apply it to their classroom.

Challenge your staff to take on professional development for their own growth. As a team look at what is offered and register for classes that will aid in their progress. Challenge yourself to not only attend the workshops yourself but model the growth process for your staff! Never consider yourself fully “trained.” There’s always more to learn!

Janet is retiring at the end of this month after a distinguished career at 4C, tirelessly working to set vision and lead staff to new approaches in supporting early childhood programs in the region. She will be greatly missed. Janet Keller has been with 4C for an incredible 25 years. She is among a core group of staff who formed the agency and still lead it today. She’s contributed to the growth of 4C from a few employees to 70, working first in the City of Cincinnati and now in 23 counties in Ohio and Kentucky. Janet loves Harry Potter, fine ink pens, woodworking, her family, strawberry candy, PF Chang’s lettuce wraps and 4C!

Taking a cue from her mentor and friend June Sciarra, Janet is passionate about developing leadership in child care center directors. Her fine leadership has brought ten years of the 4C Leadership Conference and the new year-long seminar for leaders of early childhood programs.

Celebrating 25 years with 4C!

I have many fond memories of working with Janet, but one we still joke about today comes to mind. After working at 4C for only a few months, I got an e-mail from Janet offering me an opportunity to attend an exciting training session. Being an eager new employee, I responded by saying “I defiantly want to attend!” In my excitement, I had replaced the word “definitely” with “defiantly”. It has been our joke ever since then that when I really want to do something; I “defiantly” want to do it. So Janet, I will “defiantly” miss you and please come and visit often.

Many of the adults in the commercial are stressed, and responding to stressful situations in a manner we would never think is appropriate for a child care setting. But let’s face it, sometimes caring for young children can be very stressful! I know there are many times when it’s hard to remain calm with an infant who won’t stop crying, but remember that children are always watching. Have a plan so you have some relief if you’re feeling stressed, like asking your director or another teacher to swap places with you even if it’s just for a few minutes.

There are some situations in the commercial that you wouldn’t find in a child care program. Even the scenes we wouldn’t think to find in a child care center, however, like a child care provider smoking in the presence of a child, are still important to consider. Have you ever taken your smoke break in plain sight of the children you care for? What kinds of messages are we sending when we make choices we would consider “bad” for children where they can witness them?

Try to model positive behaviors when you can. Show children how to be a caring person, and how to take care of themselves, each other and their environment. If you make a mistake, try to model attitudes and positive ways to approach problems. For example, “I wonder why that didn’t work?” Use feeling words to label children’s emotions, but more importantly, model empathy. If a child is sad, acknowledge the child’s feelings and offer a hug or ask what you can do to help.

I know we all make mistakes. I have been in the classroom and raised my voice when what I should have done was to walk over and engage that child. I know there have been times, too, when it was obvious from my voice that I was frustrated. Even the very best child care providers make mistakes, every day. But the very best child care providers also learn from their mistakes. That learning process is something that children can observe and learn from, as well. It is up to the child care provider to create a caring environment and model developmentally appropriate behavior. Remember that everything you do with children, not just the curriculum you implement or the activities you plan, matters.